Unattributable, grainy shots of the device have been doing the rounds on the internet for several months now, but sources within Google told the IRISH SPORTS broadcaster Setanta Sports is hoping to benefit from the Beckham effect in an expansion of its American operations that will see its US channel added to the DISH satellite network, which has 13.4 million customers.

The move means that Setanta, which mainly broadcasts British Premier League soccer and rugby in the US, will be available to almost 100% of homes with satellite TV there. However, its US station is only available as a premium channel and the company has not yet released any subscriber figures.

According to Setanta's North American chief executive, Roger Hall, the company is hoping to bank it like Beckham with the arrival of the former Manchester United star to the States.

"It is almost impossible to quantify but if you have a figure like Beckham who is filling stadiums that were previously half-full, of course, it feeds into all businesses associated with soccer, " he said.

"Soccer and rugby will remain minority sports but the US market is of such scale that you can have a market penetration of just half a per cent and still have a huge number of customers."

Setanta also launched a pay-per-view service in Canada last week and hope this would lead to a fully-fledged station there next year.